Three-dimensional sensor systems are increasingly being used in a wide-array of applications. In one general application, a three-dimensional sensor system is used to determine the shape and/or features of an object positioned in a scene of the sensor system's view. Many methods have been proposed for implementing sensor systems for sensing shapes and features in three-dimensions. Such methods typically require measurements of the time-of-flight or phase shift of light reaching the scene from the sensor system. Other such methods use structured-light or passive stereoscopic methods.
Structured-light methods have had success because of their superior accuracy and resolution. Their most important drawback, on the other hand, is that they require the projection of a moving beam or pattern of light onto the observation scene. The need for a moving light pattern implies some mechanical moving component, which adds to the cost or detracts from the reliability of the apparatus. Even more importantly, the need to scan the scene with a moving light beam, or to project sequences of light patterns, means that one single depth map of the scene can only be captured over a period of time, often several seconds, and in some instances even minutes. As a result, structured-light systems are often poorly suited for real-time applications, in which the position and configuration of the object of interest may change rapidly.